In September 2023, Lau brought together committee members from the Society and organised the "Chinese Calligraphy Workshop for the Elderly" with funding from HKU's Yang Tuck Ming and Wong Fung Ying Service Learning Fund. The project aimed to empower seniors by teaching them the art of Chinese calligraphy and fostering their connections with the wider community.

“I like building bonds with elderly people as I can learn a lot from their experiences”, said Lau, a second-year nursing student.

Lau (left) organised the "Chinese Calligraphy Workshop for the Elderly" with his society members.

Lau found several issues that Hong Kong elderly people are currently facing could cause them to become alienated from the community, including living alone, being left behind from family migration, and dealing with personal health issues. With university students involved in the workshop, he believed the activity could make the elderly participants feel more connected to the younger generation.

In this first part of the workshop, the calligraphy teacher gave brief instructions to the participants to familiarise them with the fundamentals of Chinese calligraphy, including stroke order, character structure, and balance. By the end of the session, all participants created their own pieces of artwork.

The elderly and university participants were working on their calligraphy artwork under guidance.

This is not the first time Lau got involved in volunteer activities for elderly people. Previously, he participated as a student volunteer in a Chinese calligraphy workshop for the elderly while he was in secondary school, where he gained additional insight into the life of the elderly.

“I realised that calligraphy was an easy way to bridge the generation gap between elderly people and teenagers,” said Lau, who has continued organising activities for the elderly even after he entered university.

However, preparing for a one-day workshop is not as easy as we could imagine.

“The preparation process was a bit hustle. I needed to work on the proposal, plan on the financial budget, and contact the social worker from the elderly centre, as well as connecting with my secondary school teacher to invite him as the calligraphy teacher for the workshop,” said Lau, the person in charge of the workshop. In addition to these responsibilities, Lau had to oversee the calligraphy equipment preparation and work with his teammates to sort out gift packets and material sourcing over the three months of preparation.

Yet, Lau was very grateful for the support from his committee members. “When I shared this idea with them, they wholeheartedly embraced it and expressed their enthusiasm to join me in organising the workshop,” Lau added. “Their support made this project possible.”

Every participant got their own pieces of work by the end of the workshop.

Throughout time, Lau discovered that many people have stereotypes about calligraphy. “They might think they need to write neatly and beautifully or that they need to take a lesson outside of school to master the skills,” said Lau. “However, calligraphy is actually something simple and it is approachable for everyone.”

“Calligraphy is an art that you will see improvement if you practise hard.” Lau believed this art could provide people with a sense of achievement; meanwhile, the process of practising calligraphy could also bring them into a stress-free environment.

Lau hoped that calligraphy would remain a common means of bridging generations. “In the future, I wish to organise more similar kinds of workshops with multiple sessions. Even when I'm no longer a committee member of the calligraphy society, I’d like to volunteer to assist in calligraphy workshops in different elderly centres.”